Should the Age Limit On Rated-R Movies Be Lowered?

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Every year we go to the movie theaters to watch films of different ratings and R-rated isn’t an exception. With popular R-rated movies like “The Revenant” and “Deadpool,” teenagers under 17 find a way to watch them in theaters.

There are so many people under 17 watching rated R movies, so shouldn’t the age limit be lowered to at least 16?

In today’s culture, many teenagers are exposed to R-rated content so they aren’t learning anything new. Many people assume teenagers can’t handle watching movies that involve sexual or violent content. However, today’s teenagers aren’t surprised by the material because they’re not as naive as adults think.

What’s the point in restricting movies when young adults will end up watching them anyways?

Teens who are told by their parents not to watch an R-rated movie either sneak into theaters or watch them online. Whether parents give their permission or not, children will end up watching an R-rated film somehow.

According to FTC’s undercover survey of 295 theaters, 46% of teens between the ages of 13 and 16 watch R-rated movies in theaters without their parents. Often times, they resort to asking strangers to purchase tickets for them so they can watch the movie in theaters.

Junior Eliana Combs said, “I think the age limit should be lowered, because it’s based off of maturity and not the age.”

Parents give their children permission to watch PG-13 movies that have the same content as R-rated movies, so what difference does it make?

The child’s maturity level is the determining factor and not the age. If a child of 14 years of age can handle material that’s intended for a teenager 17 years of age, then that child should be able to watch R-rated movies. There are no parents who would let their children watch movies they think are inappropriate, so there’s no need to set an age limit so high. Mature children can’t handle movies that are NC-17, not R. FilmRatings.com is a rating organization that helps parents decide what movies are suitable for their children. They say rated-R movies are labeled as restricted because of strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language, and substance abuse. A board of parents label movies as R, not to restrict people from watching certain movies, but in order to inform parents on whether they should let their child view certain content.